Spring wire locking device for a coupling



March 3, 1970 c. 1. BOHLEN SPRING WIRE LOCKING DEVICE FOR A COUPLINGFiled March 15, 1969 mdI 1 INV ENTOR CHARLES BOHLEN mm 2 mm NF mm mm onwn ow ATTORNEYS v United States Patent 3,498,641 SPRING WIRE LOCKINGDEVICE FOR A COUPLING Charles I. Bohlen, Doylestown, Pa., asslgnor toHose Accessories Co., Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of enns lvania PFiled Mar. 13, 1969, Ser. No. 807,024

Int. Cl. F16! 55/00, 15/00 US. Cl. 285-84 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE In a coupling having a pair of opposed bodies securedtogether by relative rotation, a pair of spaced guides for a wire areprovided on one body and a third guide is provided on the other body tobe coaxial with the first two guides when the coupling is in theinterlocked position. A spring wire has a straight portion carried inthe aforesaid guides and a coil portion extending from the straightportion and partially about said one body wh1ch has means to slidablyengage the wire adjecent its free end.

Background of the invention Couplings, such as universal air couplings,which are interlocked by relative rotation of the coupling bodies arewell-known to the art. It is also well-known to provide a spring wirepassing through an opening in one body into an opening in the other bodyof the coupling to prevent the relative rotation of the coupling bodies.The heretofore employed spring wire locks are difiicult to use due toinadequate guiding of the portion of the wire which engages both bodiesof the coupling. In addition, due to the employment of multiple springcoils which in many embodiments have to be threaded onto a coupling bodythere is great difficulty in initially securing the spring wire to thecoupling body which carries it. Further, the use of multiple coils ofspring wire makes the prior art devices relatively expensive. Theseproblems are all solved by this invention.

Summary of the invention In accordance with the invention, the prior artspring coil locks are markedly improved by providing a pair of spacedguides integral with one body and each having an opening with an axisparallel to the common axis of the coupling bodies for the reception ofand guidance of a wire and a guide integral with the other body havingan opening coaxial with the openings in the guides of said one body whenthe coupling bodies are rotated to the locked position. A spring wirehaving a straight portion carried in the guides of said one body isadapted to enter the guide of said other body. The spring wire has acoil portion extending from the straight portion and partially about thesaid one body. The free end of the coil portion engages means toslidably engage the wire. The means slidably engaging the wireadvantageously comprises a lug having a wire reciving groove and meansto keep the wire in the groove.

Description of the drawings FIGURE 1 is a side elevation partiallybroken away of a spring Wire locking device in a coupling in accordancewith the invention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section taken on the plane indicated by the line2-2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of the coupling body of the device ofFIGURE 1 which carries the spring wire.

ICC

Preferred embodiment A universal air hose coupling 2 has a body 4provided with a hexagonal section 6 for engagement by a wrench and isadapted to co-operate with a body 8 having a portion 10 adapted toengage a length of hose. Each body 4 and 8 has a pair of locking members14 each of which has an enlarged recessed portion 16 and a smallerrecessed portion 18 bordered by a cam face portion 20 (FIGURE 3). Thelocking members 14 on body 4 engage the locking members 14 on body 8 onthe relative rotation of the bodies about their common axis to lock thebodies together. Body 4 carries a gasket 22 which co-operates with agasket 24 carried by body 8.

The coupling bodies are normally sand or investment cast and will be ofsuitable material, such as, for example, ductile iron, malleable iron ornon-ferrous metals, such as brass, aluminum, bronze, or high impactstrength plastic material.

As thus described the coupling 2 is an entirely conventional universalair hose coupling.

In accordance with the invention, body 8 is provided with spaced lugs 30and 32 having openings 34 and 36 respectively which are coaxial on anaxis parallel to the axis of bodies 4 and 8. Openings 34 and 36 areadapted to receive and guide straight portion 38 of a spring wireindicated at 40. Wire 40 has a coil portion 42 which extends about halfway about peripheral portion 44 of body 8. Adjacent its free end 46 wire40 is slidably retained in a groove 48 of a lug 52 forming an integralpart of body 8. The portions 54 and 56 of lug 52 adjacent the outer endof groove 48 are peened over to prevent the Wire 40 from moving outsideof groove 48, but permitting the wire 40 to slide inside groove 48 withrespect to lug 52.

Body 4 is provided with a lug 60 having an opening 62 for the receptionof straight portion 38 of wire 40, opening 62 being coaxial withopenings 34 and 36 when bodies 4 and 8 are rotated into the lockedposition.

Operation Because of the construction of the invention, it is a simplematter to assemble wire 40 to body 8. The coil portion 42 is expanded toprovide for clearance of body 8 and the straight portion 38 is advancedthrough openings 36, and 34 in lugs 32 and 30 respectively. Not onlydoes the short extent of the coil portion 42 result in a substantialcost saving, but also it permits the more facile expansion during theattachment to body 8 as against a multi-coil arrangement.

With straight portion 38 installed, the coil portion 42 is introducedinto groove 48 in lug 52 and portions 54 and 56 peened so as to retainwire 40 in groove 48, but still permit Wire 40 to slide relative to lug52. As thus installed, the inherent set in wire 40 urges the straightportion 38 to the position shown in FIGURE 1.

In order to mate body 4 to body 8, looped portion 66 of wire 40 isengaged by hand and urged to withdraw straight portion 38 within theconfines of lug 30. Body 4 is then mated with body 8 and rotated forinterlocking by locking members 14. When bodies 4 and 8 are lockedtogether by locking members 14 openings 63, 34 and 36 will be coaxialand the release of spring wire 40 results in the straightened portion 38entering into but not protruding beyond opening 62 of lug 60 to preventthe relative rotation of bodies 4 and 8.

The employment of lugs 30 and 32 to guide the straightened portion 38 ofwire 40 eliminatesv the cocking or angulation of straightened portion 38which occurs in the prior art structures and the coil portion 42accommodates by shifting slightly about peripheral portion 44.

It will be understood that the above described embodiment is by way ofillustration and is not intended to be limiting.

I claim:

1. In a coupling having a pair of opposing hollow bodies having a commonaxis and each having a locking member adapted to engage a locking memberon the other body on relative rotation of the bodies about their commonaxis the improvement comprising:

a pair of spaced guides integral with one body and each having anopening with an axis parallel to the common axis of the bodies for thereception and guidance of a wire;

a guide integral with the other body having an opening coaxial with theguides of said one body when the bodies are rotated to the lockedposition;

a spring wire having a straight portion carried in the guides of saidone body and adapted to enter the opening of the guide in said otherbody;

said spring having a coil portion extending from the straight portionpartially about said one body; and

means to slidably engage the wire adjacent the free end of the coilportion;

said coil portion biasing the straight portion into the opening of theguide of said other body.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which the slidably engaging meanscomprises a lug integral with said one body and having a wire receivinggroove and means to keep the wire in the groove.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 653,143 7/1900 Martin 285-305 X1,681,444 8/1928 Stevens 28581 X 1,691,851 11/1928 McCuean 28581 DAVIDJ. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner D. W. AROLA, Assistant Examiner U.S.Cl. X.R.

